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New Orleans Pelicans avoid making any moves before Thursday's deadline passes

Eric Gordon : Pelicans vs. Knicks

New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Eric Gordon (10) drives to the goal by New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday, February 19, 2014. (Photo by Brett Duke, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)

There was speculation the Pelicans were exploring trade offers for shooting guard Eric Gordon and swingman Tyreke Evans, but Pelicans coach Monty Williams said earlier this week that he expected for both players to still be with the team after the trade deadline had passed.

It's the third consecutive year the Pelicans have allowed the trade deadline to pass without getting a deal done.

Demps apparently listened to offers, but no teams were willing to make a deal for either Gordon or Evans.

Gordon has two years remaining on his contract after this season that will pay him $30.4 million.The Pelicans acquired Evans in a sign-and-trade deal with the Sacramento
Kings last summer after he agreed to New Orleans' four-year, $44
million deal as a restricted free agent.

''You always want to improve your team,but I always go back to the fact that it's just hard to make trades,'' Williams said Thursday before the trade deadline had passed. ''Teams aren't willing to give up good players and you are not willing to give up good players. Sometimes you have to play it out.''

Williams said a lot of teams called to ask about the availability involving some of their players. The Pelicans were expected to seek draft picks for this upcoming June draft that is expected to be deep with talent.

There also was swirling trade speculation in the past week involving both shooting guard Anthony Morrow and second-year guard Austin Rivers, who was the 10th overall pick in the 2012 draft.

''It’s out of my hands,’’ Rivers said Wednesday night, regarding trade rumors. ''It’s stuff I can’t really worry about. I can control only things I can control.’’

The Pelicans also retained the draft rights of guard Pierre Jackson after they were unwilling to deal him to another team before the trade deadline.

Jackson, who had averaged 29.1 points in the NBA Development League with Idaho, is off to Europe to play for Fenerbahce Ulker, a professional team in Turkey. The Pelicans acquired Jackson last year in a draft night trade from the Philadelphia 76ers that

The Pelicans don’t have any draft picks after sending their 2014 first-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers, along with their No. 6 overall pick Nerlens Noel.Under the terms of the trade, the only way the Pelicans can keep the pick is if it’s in the top five.

Jackson played on the Pelicans' summer league team in Las Vegas last July, but was advised to play in Europe to continue his development. Instead, he returned to the United States and played in the NBA Development League and blossomed into a scoring sensation, which peaked the interest of several NBA teams.

''I'm not going to talk about Pierre just because I don't think about that kind of stuff,'' Williams said. ''I know that he's done some good stuff in the D-League, but I don't have much to say about it.''

The Pelicans have been decimated by injuries. Forward Ryan Anderson is likely out for the remainder of the season with a herniated disc. Starting point guard Jrue Holiday has sidelined since Jan. 10 with a stress fracture in his right tibia. Center/forward Jason Smith will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery.

Sources confirmed the Pelicans will get a disabled player exception for Anderson that's worth $4.1 million. They have until March 10 to sign one player to a contract for the rest of the season.

New Orleans has a 23-30 record, eight games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the eighth and final playoff berth.